Eugene Boudin is a great artist whose creativity has often been damned with faint praise, as in the paean ‘King of the skies.’ He is not usually recognized as a major influence in the evolution of western art and the fact that he has not been the subject of a single retrospective since 1899 is one indication of that. I have long felt he deserves recognition as a major bridge between the art of J.M.W Turner and Impressionism, and the 19th century heir and foremost interpreter of the Dutch School of seascape painting. He is also the genius without whom Claude Monet’s evolution would have been very different. Happily, a very worthy retrospective of over 60 works of Eugene Boudin has just opened at one of the most enjoyable small museums in Paris, the Jacquemart Andre. It will run until July 22, 2013. Unlike many of the small Paris museums, this one frequently attracts long lines of visitors, so you will do well to buy your tickets on-line and spare yourself a long queue.